


you started this fire down in my soul

by archmaestergilly



Category: The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Gen, Headcanon, minor spoilers for the dragon republic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 08:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20150383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archmaestergilly/pseuds/archmaestergilly
Summary: Nezha couldn't believe Rin is alive.(some spoilers for the dragon republic)





	you started this fire down in my soul

“I can’t believe it. The Speerly is back.”

His heart stopped. _Rin. _He grabbed the soldier and slammed her to the nearest wall.

“Rin is here?! Where is she?”

The soldier made a choking sound and Nezha loosened his grip. Slowly her arm raised and her fingers pointed to the Red Cliffs.

Nezha dropped the soldier and started running. In his mind he saw her limp body with blood all over, fighting to stay alive. It was his fault; it was his fault that he lost her. If only he had been brave, then she wouldn’t have—

There was a massive crowd in front of the gates. Nezha sprinted the last few meters, hardly catching his breath in between. The crowd wouldn’t part.

“Out of the way! Out of the way!”

And there she was. _Rin_. She was standing on her own two feet, talking with someone. She made a turn when he landed in front of the crowd and he got a better view of her. Scrawny legs, just skin and bones. Her whole skin was covered with mud and bruises. Her short hair was plastered to her head. But her eyes, her eyes remained the same.

“Hello,” she said.

There was nothing he wanted then but to run and hold her, to feel her heart against his, to know for sure that this was really her, Rin, and not just a fragment of his dream. Yet he was rooted to the ground, his arms flailing stupidly on his sides.

When he spoke, it came out as a whisper.

“Can I?”

A minute nod. An open arm. Nezha took the last step towards Rin. She was so small in his hold, yet she was warm, a fire inside her blazing through even though the world wanted her dead. When she shook with sobs, he tightened his embrace.

He desperately wanted time to stop. Let her be here, in this moment, for all eternity. Let _him _be here with her for all eternity.

In this moment, he realized he loved her.

(In this moment, he realized he was fucked.)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! 
> 
> i'm also on tumblr @archmaestergilly


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